The Prime Minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern announced of travelling to China in order to meet with the President of China Xi Jinping for discussing the concerns and issues of the strained relationship between the two countries. Although she had announced her plans of visiting China much earlier last year no final dates were announced back then. The relationship between New Zealand and China remained in tension under the rule of Ardern and her government and it had also raised concerns about the increasing influence of Beijing in the South Pacific.